hey guys,i have been on the sidelines watching V-8 car pricing for the last 2-3 years and there are a ton of great deals the last year or so.it seems like some of the best deals have seemingly been on revenge predators,Ive seen several v-8 supercharged predators with fortin transmissions for under 40 K.ive never owned a big car or a V-8 but have really been thinking about it alot (my trip to st anthony last week did not help any). i am on a tight budget and i feel that i really want to try and get a car with an albins,fortin or S4 instead of the 2d,and a revenge car seems to be my only option if i want one of these HD transmissions. Ive never seen a revenge in person but they do look kinda big and heavy,is that true? Any feedback is appreciated !

Mine weighed in at 2700#.
For my first V8 car, wouldn't trade it for anything.
It's huge, no doubt about it. But it takes MAJOR abuse and loves it.
When I go to Silver Lake, these guys come in with all these high dollar rails and p**** foot around.
I AIR IT OUT!~!
When I take it to Glamis, it dunes just great. It's a little tricky in the tight bowls, but nothing Cutting brakes can't handle when needed.
I think it's a very forgiving car for a first time V8.

I loved my old one just hated the micro stubs. Thats the only reason why i got rid of it.
Click to view attachment

Hey turtle ,your car is one of the ones i thought was a real good buy this year,nice car ! what exactly are micro stubs ?

another "con" that I have seen is most of them have a combo front spindle. I have seen several broken front spindles on predators.

Something else to think about, you say you are on a tight budget. if you get a car with a Fortin or Albins. CV's, axles, and tranny repairs are WAY more then smaller stuff. I can have my whole 2D complete rebuilt for less then a ring and pinion costs for a Fortin. you always need to figure in repair costs when you buy something.

Thanks, I still feel it was a real good buy, especially since it has 2" hollow spindles and has Mid Board hubs instead of micro stubs.
Micro stubs have to do with the way the CV mounts to the rear hub, it's best to go on a site that sells micro stubs and mid board hubs and look at the difference in the 2, it's MASSIVE. Same with the 2" hollow front spindles compared to the stock spindles, the difference is huge.
As for the price to rebuild the Fortin, definitely more expensive, still would NOT trade it for a 2d.

I agree with you, just pointing it out.. There was actually a thread on this a while back..people being able to buy higher end cars due to the economy, but not being able to fix them when they break..

I can see where that would be a huge consideration.

You guys have some valid point's,ive always had champagne taste on a beer budget but somehow if i can just get my foot in the door i can usually stay afloat ! I can remember years back looking at honda pilots on ebay and thinking there is no way I'll ever afford one (they were expensive then and i would have to pay shipping and 21% tax to import them).Somehow,about a year later this is what the garage looked like !

(PS my thinking is i will have less repairs and better resale if i can buy an S4 or fortin car right from the get go)

i love my predator . if you look at the black one for sale here , for 40k you cannot beat that deal . the guy who owns it is very particular . that car was right at 100k when new . tim

http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index....amp;hl=predator

I would not hesitate for one second with this car, I think that's a very good deal. Mid Boards and 2" Hollows already on it.
I saw this car at the Dyno, very nice

Will they fit in a weekend warrior 5th wheel?

We have one in our camp. Takes a beating and has been the most reliable of the LS cars in the group.

have to use loading tires . tim

Ask and you shall receive.....

http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index....howtopic=176223

I was in the same boat a year and a half ago watching prices of the used rails and thinking now was the time to find my first "big" rail. I took the plunge and bought a 07 Funco Hustler (knowing Funcos reputation) with a S4 and mostly stock LS2 for 40G's. Now that I've had it for a while I am totally glad I waited and found the right combo - medium power with the larger Trans and CV's. At first I was leery about not enough power but after running with cars with more Jam (blown LS2) Im still happy with what I have - especially since Im still pretty new to this whole thing. So far we've only been to Oregon with it so with the type of dunes and limited size my 425-450hp is fine - we'll see what I say after St.Anthonys the third week of Sept. Nice to hear of someone local with the disease. Be sure to keep me posted if you wind up finding something to buy. My folks live in Penticton and Im down there every so often.

I absolutely LOVE my predator, super reliable, takes a beating and keeps on wanting more..the ONLY reason I am selling mine is because I am going to be single again and need the $$$ to pay things off so it wont be so hard to start over. They are extremely nimble for such a big car, I have duned with much smaller cars and there is no problem spinning the (_|_) end around in the tight stuff if you know how to drive one.

Look at the frame for cracks around the front shock mounts and the rear trailing arms. Also the trailing arm bolts get wallowed out. Easy fix just catch it. Also check on the newer I think 06 or newer. ones they have more X bracing in them. I know off one with new albins and solid engine for in the uppper 30's if you are interested PM ME. Not my car but I know the owner. Stick with a LS car. I had blown northstar with a fortin I sold for 35g this year. I would have liked a LS instead. Don't do a blower or turbos just more to fix down the road.

Will these cars fit in a weekend warrior 5th wheel?

Hey bigtreads,Im shocked,i thought i was going to be the first canadian crazy enough to buy a big car ! good to know I will have someone local to cruise down south with,we went to St Anthony a week ago with 2 other couples from canada but they all ride quads.
The black revenge car for sale here is beutifull,definately one I will consider when the time comes,i really like it.
How wide are these cars,even with the skinny tires on? I will need to plan for a trailer that will work as well.

My trailer is 94" opening and I fit with trailer tires on back and strap across the front a-arms, leave front sand tires on. I think it's 104" with the rear sand tires on.

i'm from washington, st anthony's is killer. if you mainly go to oregon, don't go too big with your car. i have an AG sandcar 5 seater, it is nimble and quick, but i wouldn't want it any bigger for oregon. just my .02

[quote name='TurtleRacing' date='Jun 28 2010, 09:56 AM' post='3743931']
My trailer is 94" opening and I fit with trailer tires on back and strap across the front a-arms, leave front sand tires on. I think it's 104" with the rear sand tires on.
[/quote/ ]
can you post a pic of how tie up the arms up i would like to not to have to change all tires

thanks john

My pred has "hoops" welded on the underneath of the a-arms, (front & rear) I run a ratchet strap from right front hoop to left front hoop. That pulls the arms closer to each other, pulling the tires closer and stopping it from getting wider when pulling in the trailer.
I can get a pic later if you need it.

you can also take the lower nut off the limiting strap to get even more , it only takes a minute per side .tim

Mine fits fine with the trailer tires.

mark it on your calender 3rd week of Sept - bring your friends as those Im going to be with are all on quads. Sand Hills Resort

seriously what are you waiting for ??? like mine but white - fresh trans - AND has a cooler in front

http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index....howtopic=207585

I can attest to this. I dune with Predator guys all the time and have seen more than 1 car lose a front spindle. After they upgraded to 2" hollows, the issues went away.

Soto is also right on repairs. The big stuff is stronger and will last longer, but everything eventually needs work and the big trannies, CVs etc are expensive to fix.

I know on the bigger Avenger, the tranny can be pulled from the bottom without pulling the motor... Tim or Turtle, is this true for the Predator??? A big plus when you need to pull for repairs/maint.....

that is correct ,as long as you dont have a chevy bellhousing . tim

With skinnies these cars are 86 1/2 " at the front, I put mine in an enclosed that has an 88 1/2" door opening, unless they have 2" hollow spindles, then they measure about 881/2 at ride height. They are 151/2 feet long as well. Rolled mine at 60mph with 3 people in it , all were fine and only 1000.00 in damage. For a 2800lb. car it is certainly the safest big car out there. Don't be afraid of DOM tubing... it's not as strong as chrome moly but it's much easier to work with than chrome once it's damaged.All Predators were built with DOM( drawn over mandrel). Dave.

Predators are good cars, with some flaws, the main flaw being Justin Smith. I remember the first Predator, it had an air-cooled VW engine in it. This car literally got stuck on one of the pads on Gecko. Didn't even make it into the dunes before it got stuck.

Anyone that wants the real story of Justin, ask me by the fire at Glamis sometime. He is a piece of work for sure.

never buy a v8 car without midboards... that is what happeneds with micros...junk

I honestly think it's quicker and easier to pull the motor first, then pull the trans. I can have the motor from running to ground in 1 hour flat, trans takes about another 45 minutes after that. Trying to drop the trans out the bottom is a real PIA.

PM HDwrench on the board. His is up for sale and has a fresh Albins in it. His car has been totally gone though and ready for the dunes. He will even consider partial trade for something cool.